Water Shortage Emergency Averted

Last updated 5/4/2018 at 9:29am

A public meeting was held at the Borrego Water District April 25, widely viewed as a precursor event to the declaration of a “water shortage emergency.” The BWD Board decision was brought back from the brink of declaration after impassioned but logical public comments called into question the accuracy of the highly charged term “emergency” in reference to our current aquifer situation.

We are listed as one of 21 aquifer basins in the State being in a condition of “critical overdraft,” namely more water being extracted than recharged from natural sources. However, Board actions previously taken toward both rate-payer water conservation and progress towards implementation of our Groundwater Sustainability Plan were viewed as sufficient at this time to not sound an alarm bell.

While the purpose of such a “declaration” was noted in the meeting to be merely “an expression of policy,” the fallout of such a declaration was viewed by several attendees as considerable.

The Board members previously noted a need for action, but said they were working the problem via GSP implementation and active conservation strategies. They eventually voted unanimously that a declaration of “emergency” action was not justified at this time.